1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a process for cooking meat products in packages and is particularly concerned with a process for cooking meat products to produce a simulated netted surface appearance and retain the natural juices of the meat products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heat cooking processes frequently use net or string materials of several types, styles and sizes to keep products in a form that can be easily stored, smoked and handled for consumption. This is a traditional means of display which today is more for aesthetic purposes since meat products usually use collagen or other edible membranes for cooking to prevent the net from adhering to the meat and marring the surface when it is removed.
The use of collagen or other edible membranes now involves shaping the contained meat product, be it emulsion and/or whole muscle, to hold the product in a generally redesigned shape during the cooking process.
While the membrane technique is quite satisfactory in permitting a thorough cooking of the product and causing it to retain a generally precooked shape, the net appearance is still desirable in many respects because of its traditional use for cooked meat products.
Various techniques are known for cooking pouch processes including that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,124 disclosing a slitted bag with the slits simulating the traditional net. The slits give some definition but do not really capture the appearance of traditional netting. Moreover, the slits do not permit the retention of juices within the package. Various other techniques are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,677; 4,942,809; and 4,606,922.
While there are processes being used that will provide simulated meat surfaces to some degree, no known process closely simulates the netting effect while at the same time retains the product juices within the cooked product. The present invention addresses this need.